The present invention relates to a process for producing one or a plurality of valve-operated branch pieces for a pipe conducting a medium. The invention further proposes embodiments of the parts required for this purpose. In many technological fields one is confronted with the task of forming branch pieces for a main pipe conducting a medium, said branch pieces each diverting a certain amount of said medium from the main pipe, with a valve provided at the branching site controlling the amount to be diverted.
Examples of such may be the so-called heating circuit distributors in central heating systems, although the medium to be distributed thereby may also be oil or lubricant, one may consider pipe branches which become necessary in chemical process engineering. The range of applications is unlimited. The medium to be circulated may also be gaseous.
Just like the media to be diverted from a main pipe may be of very different nature, the present invention also comprises all kinds of materials from which the pipes and the branch pieces are made. These may be metallic pipes, iron pipes or pipes made of non-ferrous metals or they may also be reinforced or non-reinforced plastic pipes. Even the use of glass pipes may be considered.
Moreover, it is irrelevant for the purposes of the present invention whether the branch pieces are installed at a later stage in an already existing system, whether they are produced upon completion of a system in an assembling state or whether they are prefabricated branch pieces.
Various means are known for tap-boring pipes which will remain in operation during this process. German patent DE 42 39 573 A1 for example discloses a tap-boring device for pipes under pressure. This device will first serve as a hole gauge for a drilling tool which gauge may be clamped onto said pipe. This drilling tool is connected with a valve disk which will assume the function of the valve.
German utility model DE-GM 74 10 858 discloses a tap-boring pipe clip for pressurized air and water. Also in this case the drilling tool is provided with a sealing element. This prior art aims at providing a pipe in operation with a branch piece, with the drilling aid remaining on the pipe as a valve organ.
In contrast thereto, it is the object of the present invention to provide any number of valve-operated branch pieces at any point on a pipe which is not in operation.